Text & Translation
Spleen
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Et les lierres étaient tout noirs.
Chère, pour peu que tu te bouges
Renaissent tous mes désespoirs.
Le ciel était trop bleu, trop tendre,
La mer trop verte et l'air trop doux.
Je crains toujours, -- ce qu'est d'attendre
Quelque fuite atroce de vous.
Du houx à la feuille vernie
Et du luisant buis je suis las,
Et de la campagne infinie
Et de tout, fors de vous, hélas !
Spleen
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
And the ivy was all black.
Dear, at your slightest move,
All my despair revives.
The sky was too blue, too tender,
The sea too green, the air too mild.
I always fear—oh to wait and wonder!—
One of your agonizing departures.
I am weary of the glossy holly,
Of the gleaming box-tree too,
And the boundless countryside
And everything, alas, but you!
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Spleen
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Spleen
English source:
Richard Stokes
Les roses étaient toutes rouges
All the roses were red
Et les lierres étaient tout noirs.
And the ivy was all black.
Chère, pour peu que tu te bouges
Dear, at your slightest move,
Renaissent tous mes désespoirs.
All my despair revives.
Le ciel était trop bleu, trop tendre,
The sky was too blue, too tender,
La mer trop verte et l'air trop doux.
The sea too green, the air too mild.
Je crains toujours, -- ce qu'est d'attendre
I always fear—oh to wait and wonder!—
Quelque fuite atroce de vous.
One of your agonizing departures.
Du houx à la feuille vernie
I am weary of the glossy holly,
Et du luisant buis je suis las,
Of the gleaming box-tree too,
Et de la campagne infinie
And the boundless countryside
Et de tout, fors de vous, hélas !
And everything, alas, but you!
Composer
Régine Poldowski
Poldowski was born Régine Wieniawski, daughter of the Polish violinist and composer Henryk Wieniawski. Her famous father died when she was ten months old. Poldowski moved among the musical aristocracy from an early age and performed her own music…
Poet
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry. Born in Metz, Verlaine was educated at the Lycée Impérial…